Kindred
by thecolfox
Summary: History has a funny way of repeating itself. Rin and Sesshomaru are reborn together again in the midst of another warring state, this time in the modern world. Sesshomaru, considered by many the 'perfect assassin', has been raised to carry on his father's bloody legacy since he was a child, but his encounter with a war-orphaned girl will change everything all over again. Sessrin
1. Chapter 1: History Repeats

"_I don't know how it is you are so familiar to me — or why it feels less like I am getting to know you and more as though I am remembering who you are. How ever smile, every whisper brings me closer to the impossible conclusion that I have known you before, I have loved you before. In another time, a different place— a different existence."_ Lang Leav

—

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><p>"<em>Rin…" <em>

"_It's alright Sesshomaru.. I'll be with you forever. I know it.." she whispered weakly, her thumb brushing the stripes of his cheek one last time. _

"_Rin." It was a rare crack in composure, his voice strained, both a prayer and a curse. But all the power in the world could not make will her to obey his words and with a final slip of breath she was gone._

_—_

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><p>An explosion sent shrapnel and rock flying, stinging his eyes and filling up his throat. Another, closer this time, shook the ground and knocked him off-balance.<p>

He had to get away, find somewhere safe to rest. If he was hit now, he'd be unlikely to survive.

The air was thick with dust and acrid, black smoke, the sound of gunfire and shouting echoing in the distance as the tall figure made its way unevenly away from the city and into a patch of forest. It wasn't often he ended up in a position like this. People sought him out specifically because he never made mistakes, never got caught, never left anything unfinished.

_A perfect assassin. _

He'd been overly confident this time. Heh, something that wasn't usually a problem for him. And this had been simple mission after all, nothing more than a band of rowdy mercenaries. But they'd gotten the better of him.

"Curse them..." the figure hissed, gripping his shoulder tightly as he staggered into a small clearing. Blood, hot and thick seeped through his clothing and over his fingers, staining them red. The scent was so strong he could taste traces of metal on the back of his tongue. He stumbled down to the ground against the roots of a large tree, groaning and slumping against them. Every muscles in his body felt like it was about to snap, the adrenaline from the initial blow was wearing off little by little. He took in his surroundings, sharp eyes searching for any sign of danger, any areas likely to allow ambush. When he was satisfied he was safe enough he worked to steady his heartrate and breathing. There were people being slaughtered not far away and yet this place seemed so quiet, almost peaceful. Didn't the birds know what was going on a few miles away? He couldn't imagine what there was to sing about at a time like this. He lay still for awhile against the tree, a dull throb developing in his shoulder. His fingers were still able to move, so no catastrophic nerve damage but it wasn't good. There'd likely be permanent damage of some sort. He managed to tear a piece of cloth from his shirt and tied up the bleeding shoulder sloppily with his free hand and his teeth. Confident he wouldn't bleed out, he let his hands drop down to his sides, his head slumping back against the tree… he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. His eyelids fluttered closed, the red paint on them smudged and caked with dirt and ash.

He just needed to rest for while…

He woke to another chorus of chatter from the birds, the clearing around him painted with reds and oranges, though whether it was due to the nearby fires or the sun setting he couldn't tell. A few hours must have passed since he'd drifted off and that would make it… around seven. Maybe eight. His shoulder was still aching loudly but he tentatively he tried to move… to his annoyance his muscles screamed at him in response. He resigned himself back against the tree once more.

Arrogant fool.

He let himself drift back in the memories of the battle. He'd been taunting them, letting himself get carried away. But he'd been sure the enemy was no threat… perhaps he was losing his touch. Admittedly he had been… distracted as of late. As though he were waiting for something, but certainly had no idea what that might be. His life had always been this way… it was unlikely to change now.

A slight shift to make himself more comfortable sent a great, stabbing pain down his arm and chest. By the time he got himself to a hospital or a doctor… he cleared the thoughts from his head. There wasn't any use worrying about it now. He would see to it when he was able and that was that. Until then… he needed to rest, frustrating as it was.

The events replayed in his mind once more, and then again and again for some time, his words, his mistakes… until he heard a rustle in the brush nearby. With a great effort he forced his body up slightly to look in the direction of the sound, gritting his teeth tightly.

A few moments passed, his mind in a whirl until a pair of large brown eyes peeked out at him followed by the rest of a young girl. She had a thick head of messy, tangled black hair, part of which was tied up into a small ponytail at the side of her head and long, unkempt bangs which fell into her face as she stared at him. She was filthy, and covered in what appeared to be bruises and cuts, all over her face and limbs, though his vision was still somewhat fuzzy.

He frowned at the child. If he was lucky she was just lost and had stumbled upon him in the confusion of the fighting. The alternative was… less ideal. This was war and children were just as likely to kill you as anyone else. Sesshomaru thought, with bitter amusement that he couldn't have been much older than her when he'd started training. The girl slowly emerged from the brush and approached him cautiously, holding a beaten up water bottle wrapped in duct tape tightly in her hands. She took another few steps toward him, clearly wary.

He took a measured breath and stared back at her. This was the end, was it? He was going to perish here by the hands of a child? Only a coward would send a little girl into war with a bomb in his stead, Sesshomaru seethed to himself.

She stopped next to him and stared down at him for a long moment, as though trying to decide what to do next, before opening the water bottle. Sesshomaru felt himself tense instinctively until something wet connected with his head and he jolted forward with a start. The girl stood beside him, holding the water bottle upside down over him until she had completely emptied its contents onto his head.

He sputtered, hissing and glaring at the child who flinched and took an unsteady step back, anticipating being struck. It took a moment for him to calm down, breathing raggedly and eyeing her from under his now soaking hair. The painted stripes on his cheeks and eyes began to run and drip red down along his jaw. Was that it? Just…. water?

Was she attempting to _help_ him?

"It would have been more useful to let me drink it." he huffed at her. She blinked, surprised by his sudden words before turning on her heel and running off the way she'd come. He watched her go, sighing in annoyance and leaning his head back against the tree, pale hair plastered to his face.

After all that, she just left?

Ridiculous.

Of all the things to do… she'd dumped water on him. He wished she'd dumped it on his wound if she felt the need to do something so stupid, although he didn't trust how clean it was.

"Useless." he huffed. With his bangs dripping onto his face he'd suddenly realized how thirsty he really was. He'd lost his supply of water somewhere along the way to the clearing. He'd been more concerned with staying alive than keeping track of his gear. A few moments later he heard the rustling again and his eyes snapped over to the disturbance. The small girl emerged, more confident this time, still clutching the water bottle tightly and making her way over to his side before holding it out toward him.

"Mm." she made a muffled noise and shook the water bottle lightly to show it had been refilled.

He regarded her with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity before slowly reaching up and taking the water bottle. "Can't you speak?"

She simply motioned to the water again, urging him to drink, and after watching her for a moment longer he emptied the water bottle quickly before handing it back to her.

Eventually, he spoke again. "Did you get caught up in the fighting?"

She blinked at him curiously.

"How did you get those bruises?" They had been bruises after all. There was a nasty one on her cheek just below her eye, and he could see a few others on her knobby legs and arms. She couldn't have been more than eight or nine at most, he thought.

The girl stared at him for a long moment before smiling widely and plopping herself unceremoniously at his side. He blinked, glancing down at the top of her head.

"What are you doing?"

She reached into pocket of the ratty, oversized coat she wore and dug out two rather stale looking crusts of bread, reaching out and offering one up to him. He raised a thin brow, glancing down at the crust in her small first.

"I don't need it. Eat it yourself."

Her cheerful expression fell slightly. She glanced at the crust of bread and then back to him, offering it again.

"I told you I'm fine. The water was enough." He huffed, staring off into the forest.

The girl looked unsure for a moment but eventually gave up, sitting by his side and eating the crusts herself. He let his eyes travel back and glance down at her. She was foolish or fearless, walking up to a soldier and dumping water on his head, regardless of intent. As though there wasn't a war happening all around her. He might have killed her. Where were her parents or guardians? He supposed with her ratty clothing and hair she could have been a war orphan. She would not have been the first and certainly would not be the last. He was sure he'd created a few of her kind himself. It would certainly explain her unusual boldness around soldiers, though she hadn't seemed to want anything of him. She'd had her own water and food and an orphan or a beggar child would usually be hoping to get something off a soldier; food or something to sell. She seemed to be in search of neither.

He was pulled from his thoughts by movement at his side. She'd finished with the crusts and stood up, smiling at him again before taking her water bottle clutching it close to her chest.

"Mm." she waved to him before turning and walking back out of the clearing. The light was fading quickly, and he imagined she knew better than to be out at night in this area. His eyes lingered in the direction she'd left for a short while before he turned his attention to his wound. He wouldn't be getting much sleep himself tonight. He was too vulnerable out here in the open, and still largely immobile. If he was lucky by morning he'd be well enough to get back to the city and find some black market doctor willing to treat his shoulder off the record.

As the light in the clearing dimmed, giving way to night, he allowed himself to rest his eyes, only to find the strange little girl's face running through his mind every so often… she seemed oddly familiar to him, though he was sure he'd never encountered the child before today. He'd ever been here before, and he had very little contact with anyone, let alone children, outside the battlefield. He'd likely killed more children than he'd ever interacted with. Her fearlessness lingered behind though… and that smile.

He gave a sigh. It didn't matter, ultimately. Her kindness was wasted on him. He would be of no help to her. He was a killer, nothing more. She had been fortunate to escape the fate most suffered at his hands. He would not see her again.

And yet still an odd feeling settled with him for the night, as though something important had occurred. Something he'd been waiting for.


	2. Chapter 2: Coincidence

Wow! The response to this story has been amazing so far, especially considering we're only one chapter in. This whole thing was a bit of a whim, but I had so many ideas for a modern/reincarnation AU I couldn't help myself. Thank you for all the reviews, messages and follows! I'll try to reply to all of you, but seriously, thank you for reading. Seeing the review notifications really makes my day and inspires me to keep going. I'll probably update once a week around Thursday/Friday, right now I'm about a chapter or two ahead of the updates, so I'm hoping to keep that pace up. If anyone's interested in beta-ing for this story, feel free to send me a message!

This chapter was 7 pages in my word processor, but it feels so short when I upload it on here! I will try to work on longer/meatier chapters, so bear with me. As always your con crit is appreciated and so is love! 

And without further delay, enjoy!

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><p>Sesshomaru's blinked awake slowly, blearily looking around. Bands of light blinded his sensitive eyes, disorienting him momentarily as he roused. His shoulder and head ached fiercely still and it took a few moments for the stinging of his eyes to fade. Cautiously, he eased himself up onto his elbow as the room around him came into focus. <p>

A shabby hotel room, with walls covered in torn, pale green wallpaper stared back at him. It only took a moment for the memories to return. The failed mission… he'd been forced to take refuge in the forest and hide like a coward but then… somehow he'd made it out of the forest and back into the city. He couldn't recall, however, getting the room… or undressing and laying down to sleep. It appeared that he'd even re-wrapped his wounded shoulder… though he could remember none of it. 

With a bit more effort he pushed himself to a sitting position, brushing his long bangs away from his forehead. He must have been sleeping for nearly a day judging by the look of his bandages. The blood that had seeped through to the surface was brown and stiff. He attempted to rotate his shoulder lightly, hissing at the searing pain that shot through his arm. Pain was better than the alternative, however. He would need to see a doctor… and if he didn't move soon, someone was going to come looking for him. He tugged his fingers the rest of the way through his tangled, silver hair and slowly rose from the bed, making his way into the bathroom. The fluorescent light made him look more sickly than he was, painting his skin with a yellow tinge. Sesshomaru splashed a bit of frigid water on his face and wiped away the stubborn remnants of dirt from the battle, traces of an impossible failure. It would take more than water to wash away the blow to his pride, not to mention his reputation. 

He pressed a towel to his face, letting a sigh escape from his lips slowly. He would be away from this wretched place soon enough. 

It wasn't long before the echo of shuffling footsteps could be heard approaching from outside. The assassin stiffened, but only for a moment. The footsteps outside were familiar. He threw the towel onto the counter in annoyance and made his way to the door. 

"Jaken." 

The footsteps paused outside, startled. "Sesshomaru-sama!" 

Sesshomaru pulled the door open slowly, frowning. "What are you doing here, Jaken?" 

"I was sent to retrieve you, sir!" he chirped eagerly. 

"Lower your voice." he commanded, "I do not require your help." he turned away, leaving the door ajar and sitting back on the bed, the coils in the mattress squeaking in protest. 

"You are injured, and there was concern when you did not return or check in with your whereabouts. I assume the mission was unsuccessful?" 

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed dangerously, and Jaken began to hurriedly collect all of the discarded clothes and weapons on the floor, desperate to avoid the man's gaze. 

"Anyway, sir, I have brought you a change of clothes and am to escort you out of here. You need to see a physician with your arm in that state." 

He said nothing, simply took the fresh clothing the short, jittery man produced and changed into it wordlessly. He despised being "managed" or coddled in any form. Having someone sent to extract him was an embarrassment he wouldn't soon tolerate again. Once dressed he tied back his hair in a low, loose ponytail. The dark, navy pants and white button down shirt would allow him to blend in well enough, despite his rather conspicuous hair. It appeared silver, though in reality it was simply a very pale, almost bone-white blonde or grey, inherited directly from his father. But in a place like this there wasn't likely to be anyone who would pay it much mind. People were too concerned with death and hunger to bother with an odd-looking stranger. 

"Sir, if you are ready we should depart." Jaken piped up nervously from the doorway. "It is best not to linger." 

"Very well." he said curtly, brushing past the smaller man and pulling on the jacket provided for him gingerly. 

He emerged from the hotel, following Jaken down a few alleyways and toward the city center, his hands buried deep in his pockets. Though it had been quite bright out when he'd first awoken, the skies had turned gray and plump clouds filled the horizon, looking ready to burst at any moment. 

"Oh, it's going to rain sir. We ought to hurry." 

Sesshomaru huffed in annoyance. Any quicker and it would be obvious that they were, in fact, hurrying somewhere. And that would draw attention. Better to risk a little water then make a scene of any kind. His pace remained deliberately easy and slow. 

A few pricks of water fell over his now clean and unmarked cheeks and he glanced up at the sky, and without warning he memory of water being dumped on his head returned to him in a flash. That's right… the little girl who'd attempted to help him in the forest. He hadn't seen her again by the time he left, and had forgotten about her entirely until the rain started to fall. Sesshomaru wondered, absentmindedly, if she was indeed a victim of the war, wandering these streets somewhere on her own. Of course, he didn't particularly care what happened to her, but he could admit to some curiosity concerning the girl. Would she return again to attempt to tend to him? If she discovered he was gone, hopefully she would simply forget about him and go on about her business, pretending they'd never met. 

Anyone wise would keep their distance from him. There weren't monsters and demons in the world, no ghouls lurking in the dark, only him. 

"Hey there! Move it! You're in our way, child!" 

A soft gasp snapped Sesshomaru from his thoughts, bringing his attention back to the scene before him. He stopped mid-step and stared, somewhat surprised, down at the same little girl from the forest. The one he'd been thinking of only moments before she'd appeared before him again. She stared back up at him with wide eyes and an angry, bloody lip as Jaken screeched for her to move. Was it chance that she'd stumbled upon them again like this? Or had she been following them? Perhaps her motives were not as innocent as he'd intitally assumed. 

"Did you not hear me?! I said stand aside!" He raised his hand to shove her but was stopped by the icy voice behind him. 

"Jaken." he said, surprising himself at the lack of hesitation in his voice. 

"Sir?" he looked back at Sesshomaru hesitantly. 

Sesshomaru didn't spare Jaken the slightest glance, his golden eyes locked with her dark brown, staring at one another curiously. The chances of her stumbling upon them were minuscule and yet here she stood before him, chin caked with dried blood from her swollen lip. He opened his mouth to speak when he was cut off by a voice echoing down the alley she seemed to have emerged from. 

"Rin! Get back here you useless little bitch!" 

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed and snapped down the alleyway to their right. The child whimpered and shot behind his legs without a moment's hesitation, cowering and clutching to the fabric of his pants. He could feel her fists trembling. Out of the alley emerged a middle-aged man dressed in shabby clothes. He was homeless or poor, by the looks of it, though Sesshomaru took much more offense to his mouth than his appearance. 

"There you are! Get over here you brat! You can't just steal from us and get away with it. We've been nice enough to let you live with us and the other kids, you owe us, girly." He spat, curling his hand into a fist. Sesshomaru noted a ring on his finger. Something like that could have easily created the girl's bloody lip if she'd been struck with it. The girl's grip tightened on his pant leg, confirming his suspicions. 

Sesshomaru considered his choices before speaking. "Leave." he said easily. 

The man looked to him, clearly startled by his sudden interjection. "Who're you? It's none of yer business, ya hear? The brat owes me so you'd better just move along." 

"And what, exactly, does she owe you?" 

He frowned, "My group and I have been feeding her and giving her shelter and in return she steals from us and the other orphans. Food. Supplies. She's a dirty thief!" 

"And you pay for this food and shelter yourselves? Operating an orphanage of some kind, are you?" 

"Somethin' like that, yeah." He took a step forward, holding his hand out. "Come 'ere, Rin. If you come back like a good girl I won't punish you no more." 

The girl eyed him for a moment before shaking her head and pressing herself to Sesshomaru's legs, trying to make herself as small as possible. Clever child. Those promises were empty. 

The man growled, lunging for her to drag her out from behind Sesshomaru, but Sesshomaru reached down swiftly and caught his wrist, clamping his fingers down on it and twisting it back, eliciting a strangled yelp from the man. 

"Ow! What the fuck! Let go!" 

"I told you to leave." he said, his voice calm and icy. "I have no intention of repeating myself again." Sesshomaru squeezed the man's wrist tightly, and could feel a pop from within, the man whimpering and begging for release. Sesshomaru shoved him back into the wall roughly. 

"Fuck, kid's not worth it." The man hissed, cradling his wrist gingerly before disappearing back into the alley. Sesshomaru watched to make sure he was gone before stepping away from the girl and starting to walk off again. 

"S-Sir? Wait for me, sir!" The wiry man shuffled after him hurriedly. Sesshomaru's brows furrowed as he walked. Why had he gotten involved? It wasn't like him to bother with trivial matters like the well-being of some street urchin girl… but he supposed she was not simply a random orphan child, and they were now even, at least. 

"Sir!" Jaken fell into step slightly behind him. "Sesshomaru-sama, what was that about? Why did you intervene on that child's behalf? Do you know her?" 

"Mm." he said cryptically, walking. Did he know her? He still couldn't shake the feeling that she was familiar to him somehow. 

"Sir, she's following us…" 

Sesshomaru stopped, blinking and looking back behind them. There, ten feet or so behind him was the child. 

"Why are you following me? I repaid your kindness, unnecessary as it was. Go away." he said curtly, turning and starting to walk again. She instantly moved to follow him before being blocked by Jaken. 

"You heard him! Beat it! Scram!" he shooed at her, trying to gently shove her off. 

She looked past him at the pale haired man, slowly getting further away before looking up at Jaken and glaring. She sucked in a breath and pulled her knee to her chest before stomping down on Jaken's foot, slipping around him and falling into step behind Sesshomaru once again. 

"Ow! Ow! You little brat that was my foot!" he screeched, hobbling after her. 

Sesshomaru stopped, turning around and eyeing the girl. This ridiculous commotion was bound to get him noticed. "What do you want?" 

She stopped as he did, staring up at him silently. 

"I told you, I repaid my debt to you. I have no use for you anymore." 

She frowned but still, stubbornly, refused to move. Sesshomaru held a sigh as he stared down at her, unsure how to rid himself of the child. He hadn't helped her with any intention of caring for her or looking after her. It was nothing more than settling a debt. Now that he'd done that, what possible reason could she have for following him? 

"Do you want money? Is that it?" He slowly reached into his back pocket and threw a large bill on the ground in front of her. "If money is your concern then there. That will feed you for a month at least. Now, leave." 

The child huffed at him loudly, almost indignantly, never even glancing at the money laying at her feet. 

"I do not have anything else to offer you, girl." he said, annoyed by her persistence. What did she want from him? If not money or protection, Sesshomaru had little to offer this child. 

"Sir, we don't have time for this! Just ignore the child and let's go." 

Sesshomaru glanced over to Jaken, who was still nursing his foot. He couldn't decide which was more pathetic: the idea that the child had really injured him or that he was so useless he pretended to be injured more than he truly was. 

"Fine." Sesshomaru turned and began to walk off with Jaken, fully aware that the girl continued to trail behind them, leaving the money in the street without so much as a glance. 

She remained in tow until they reached a small, shabby building on the outskirts of the city, not far from the docks and overlooking the dark, stormy ocean. The air smelled of salt and rotting fish, a considerably unpleasant combination. From this place they'd exit the country, in secret or with the help of forged documents. They could not be gone soon enough as far as Sesshomaru was concerned. 

Jaken glanced back at the child, scowling, "Leave would you! No one wants you here, pest!" 

She ignored him, staring intently at Sesshomaru. He had no idea what to make of this odd behavior. After all, he had nothing to offer her that he hadn't already. He walked into the building with Jaken without sparing a glance at her, hoping that continued indifference might discourage her pursuit. The building was dimly lit and smelled stale, a small improvement from the outside. There was mold protruding from the corners of the ceiling and the laminate was beginning to peel and chip away from the countertops. The main area, bare and small, was separated from the back by a thin counter, and beyond that a solitary door with a ratty curtain draped over it. 

Jaken spoke hurriedly with their contact, a fat man with a receding hairline who pointedly ignored Sesshomaru's very existence. Collecting their forged paperwork and stuffing it into his shabby brown coat, he turned back to the pale haired man behind him. 

"Everything is ready for us," He said, "We should go, sir." 

Sesshomaru spun around easily and pushed open the glass door, emerging from the building. Curiously, there appeared to be no sign of the girl where they'd left her. Perhaps she had finally gotten the hint or gone back to retrieve the money he'd dropped for her. 

"Oh good, she's gone. I was worried we'd have to chase her off." Jaken turned, rather unconcerned by her sudden disappearance and headed for the docks. "Let's hurry, sir. There is a doctor on board who can see to your arm." 

Sesshomaru glanced over the surrounding area once more but couldn't catch sight of the girl or any place she might be hiding… It seemed unlikely to him that she'd have followed them this far only to disappear at the last moment. Ultimately, it was of no concern to him. He tore himself away from the spot, if nothing else than to cease Jaken's obnoxious whining, following him toward the docks where a large ship waited in the distance. 

Rain began to fall from the sky and Sesshomaru realized he felt uneasy, though he couldn't quite understand why. Was it merely the child? Why had she followed him to begin with only to disappear at the last moment… and why did she seem so familiar to him? The way she had stared at him... almost as if she'd felt it as well. 

The drops fell from the sky with greater force, dampening Sesshomaru's bangs and plastering them against his forehead. 

Somehow, the idea of leaving her behind felt wrong.


End file.
